BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Ping May Come Out Now

MANILA BULLETIN -- One For All, All For One

PHILIPPINE STAR -- House Impeach Vote: Easier Said Than Done

MANILA STANDARD -- Minority Delays House Voting On Impeachment

MANILA TIMES -- Trust In President Still High

MALAYA -- Bid To Delay Impeach Vote Failed

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Solons Prefer Pork Over Justice; Merci Impeach Trial Looms

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Free Again

ABANTE -- No Mercy!

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Kuta Ni Ghadafi Binomba Na!

 

BALITA -- Sapul

PEOPLES TONIGHT --  Kid ‘Crippled, Goes Insane After Rape!

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

After eight hours of marathon debates, the House of Representatives impeached shortly after midnight Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in a voting that more or less followed party lines. Voting 210-47 with four abstentions, the House impeached Gutierrez, eight months since the first of the two impeachment complaints was filed against her in July. (Philstar-Banner)

After a marathon debate, the House of Representatives Monday night impeached Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, clearing the way for her trial by the Senate for betrayal of public trust. By a vote of 210-47, the chamber sealed the impeachment case against Gutierrez after nearly eight hours of debate ending at around midnight. Four lawmakers abstained. (PDI-p1) 

After more than a year of hiding, expect Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson to surface “soon,” one of his lawyers said yesterday. Lacson hurdled the only remaining legal obstacle to his freedom on Friday when the Court of Appeals ruled that the arrest warrant issued against him in connection with the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito, was already void and should not be carried out by authorities. (PDI-Banner) 

Coconut farmers on Monday urged Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to initiate a “blanket investigation” over the reported mismanagement and misuse of money of the companies acquired through the so-called coco levy funds. In a statement, coconut farmers’ organizations—led by the Coconut Peasants Reform Alliance (Copra), Lakas ng Magsasakang Pilipino (LMP), and the Pambansang Koalisyon ng mga Samahang Magsasaka at Manggagawa sa Niyugan (PKSMMN)—asked Enrile to conduct investigation to determine the seriousness of the problem and expose all the personalities involved. (Mla Times-p3) 

On Presidency

What is President Benigno Aquino III having for breakfast nowadays?  Nothing palatable really. He said he had to deal first thing in the morning with problems of Filipinos caught in conflicts in Libya and the Middle East, and those stuck in calamity-stricken Japan. The President shared this information Monday when asked what he thought of his high approval and trust ratings in the latest Pulse Asia survey. (PDI-p1) 

President Aquino continues to enjoy high approval and trust ratings in the latest nationwide survey by Pulse Asia. Pulse Asia’s “Ulat ng Bayan” survey, conducted from Feb. 24 to March 6, found a big majority of Filipinos (75 percent) expressing trust in the President. The non-commissioned survey also found nearly three in four Filipinos or 74 percent satisfied with the performance of Aquino. (Philstar-p1) 

On Libya

A US-led coalition has succeeded in scattering and isolating Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi’s forces after a weekend of punishing air attacks. Pentagon officials said American military authorities were moving to hand control of the operation to other countries. Gadhafi is not a target of the campaign, a senior military official said Sunday, but he could not guarantee the Libyan leader’s safety. (Philstar-p1) 

On Distress OFWs

The Department of Foreign Affairs issued yesterday a “last call” for Filipinos to leave Libya as the militaries of several countries launched air raids against Libyan targets over the weekend. The officers and staff of the Philippine embassy in Libya were directed to personally go to the workplace of Filipinos still in Tripoli and Benghazi, in a last ditch effort to convince them to leave the country. (Philstar-p1) 

Despite air strikes by coalition forces against forces of Muammar Gaddafi, some 2,000 Filipinos working in Libya are hesitant to come home, according to the Department of Labor and Employment. "Many of those who have been working there for a long time are also hesitant to return home because they might lose their gratuity pay amounting to millions," said Bulyok Nilong, a member of the DOLE-Middle East Task Force. He said medical workers in Libya receive a monthly salary of $3,000. (Malaya-p1) 

On The Armed Forces

A former civilian employee assigned at the comptroller’s office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) emerged yesterday as a new witness and corroborated the testimony of retired military budget officer Lt. Col. George Rabusa, who had exposed alleged corruption in the AFP. Perla Valerio, who identified herself as a former budget officer of the AFP, presented an affidavit to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee confirming the claims of Rabusa about the military financial programs that included the Provisions for Command Directed Activities (PCDA), the operating program and budget (OPB), return to sender (RTS) and allotment advice that were part of alleged widespread corruption in the military. (Philstar-p1) Corruption

The military will probe an alleged torture video involving soldiers of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division uploaded on the Internet last week. Armed Forces human rights chief Col. Domingo Tutaan Jr. said they will determine if reforms were made in military training after the alleged torture in 2008. “Necessary actions were taken accordingly, but we have to look into the matter,” he said. (Philstar-6) Torture video